FOR BETTER CROPS 135 



works well, as in western areas which border on the semi-arid 

 region. The treading of animals helps to make the land Arm. 

 The grazing removes shade too dense and leaves more moisture 

 for the young plants. Such grazing may consist of any of the 

 small cereals, or better, of two or more of them combined. 

 Grass seeds may thus be sown with rape grazed down, or with 

 the flax which is to be harvested. 



The depth for sowing grass and clover seed will depend much 

 on soil and climatic conditions. On loam soils where the 

 weather is moist much of the season, grass and clover seed will 

 not of necessity require other covering than that given to them 

 by allowing them to fall before the grain drill tubes, or rolling 

 the ground when they are sown by hand. 



In other instances, as where the conditions are dry, they will be 

 benefited by a stroke of the harrow in addition. This should 

 always be given when they are sown in the spring along with 

 winter rye or wheat, but under some conditions it may not be 

 practicable to do this. Where soils are so light and spongy as to 

 sink much beneath the tread, it may be wise sometimes to sow 

 the grass seeds along with the nurse crop and to feed them along 

 with it through the grain tubes. 



Sorghum and kaflfir corn and also millet should be buried from 

 one to two inches deep according to the soil and its condition at 

 the time of sowing. 



The amounts of seed to sow will vary with soil and climatic 

 conditions and the character of the hay sought. Thick sowing 

 increases fineness, and thin sowing coarseness. In some instances 

 the conditions are so dry that thin sowing is imperative to give 

 each plant enough moisture. 



Should the clovers be sown alone, the amounts suited to average 

 conditions would be: alfalfa, fifteen pounds per acre, and in the 

 semi-arid country not more than eight pounds; medium red or 

 mammoth clover, twelve pounds* and alsike clover, five or six 

 pounds. The average amount of timothy or red top to sow alone 

 would be nine pounds. When timothy is sown with one or more 

 clovers, the average amounts may be fixed at — timothy, six 

 pounds, and clover or the clovers, six pounds in all. This last 

 is the great standard hay crop. 



Should orchard grass, meadow fescue, tall oat grass, Russian 

 brome, or western rye g]-ass be sown alone, the average amount 

 of seed may be fixed at fifteen pounds an acre, and when two or 

 three of them are sown together, proportionate amounts are 

 sown. It is of course to be understood that in all instances these 

 amounts relate to the growing of hay. For pasture it may be 

 necessary to sow more seed. 



When timothy, red top, and alsike clover are sown to provide 

 permanent meadow, the respective average amounts of seed may 

 be set down at six, six, and three pounds of each, respectively. 



